Managing Partner – Sector Advisory — Foundation-Model Platform

The mandate

Deep foundation-model capability has attracted attention, but the firm has not yet converted that strength into a coherent sector advisory franchise. Partners approach the market through individual relationships, technical teams enter too late to shape the question, and engagement economics vary materially. Meanwhile, enterprise clients are cautious about value, control and accountability. The Managing Partner – Sector Advisory will close that trust gap by joining sector judgement, model expertise and board-level counsel in one investable proposition.

The platform touches approximately ₹1,000 crore of AI product and services revenue and around 325 employees and material partners. Its reach extends through India, Gurugram and the wider operating region. The remit is not to repackage engineering capacity as consulting. It is to decide where foundation models can alter a sector’s economics or operating decisions, originate work with senior clients, and organise multidisciplinary delivery that produces measurable outcomes.

Uneven partner economics are both a symptom and a constraint. Some relationships produce strategic, repeatable work; others depend on low-leverage custom activity or unpriced senior attention. You will create transparent rules for account ownership, investment, attribution and risk. The franchise should reward collaboration while making weak economics visible. Trust will be earned through candour about suitability, evidence and limitations rather than ambitious technology claims.

Why this seat is open

The requirement was not in the approved hiring calendar. It became urgent when the enterprise-trust gap exposed the cost of fragmented ownership and created a need for one accountable leader. Interim coverage protects immediate decisions, but it cannot continue into the next operating gate. The board aims to move from a qualified shortlist to an offer within four to six weeks. This is an onsite advisory appointment in Gurugram reporting to the Global Managing Partner and regional partner council.

What you will own

You will select the sectors and client problems around which the proposition is built. Each choice should be supported by access, distinctive intellectual capital, delivery capability and a credible route to value. Offerings need explicit entry criteria and evidence standards, including circumstances in which a foundation-model intervention should not proceed. Anchor clients will help refine the proposition, but no single relationship should dictate the entire practice.

You will lead origination and counsel at the most consequential accounts while building a partner system capable of operating without your constant presence. That includes clarifying leadership of opportunities, mobilising technical and sector experts early, reviewing engagement risk and developing principals into future partners. Recruitment should address real capability gaps rather than add senior cost before demand is proven.

Commercially, you will establish one view of pipeline quality, pricing, delivery leverage, client impact and cash conversion. Engagement reviews should connect promised outcomes with model, data and adoption dependencies. Board reporting must distinguish contracted work from relationship optimism and show how investment in reusable methods improves both client results and margin.

The first 12 months

In the opening 90 days, examine the current book account by account. Identify where the firm is trusted, where technical claims outrun evidence, and where partner incentives obstruct collaboration. Assess the leadership bench, test the economics of representative engagements and speak directly with clients who have both adopted and declined the proposition. Bring the partner council a sector thesis, investment gates and a small set of anchor pursuits.

During months four to nine, mobilise the chosen sector propositions, close or reshape weak offerings and secure signature work that demonstrates counsel quality. Install joint account planning, engagement assurance and partner contribution rules. Hire selectively, create development assignments for future partners and publish practical intellectual capital grounded in client decisions rather than generic AI commentary.

By the end of year one, anchor-client growth, partner productivity and an investable proposition should be evident. The franchise needs a repeatable route from origination through realised impact, a partner bench able to sustain it and a capital plan linked to demand. Present downside actions for sectors or offerings that fail to clear the agreed gates.

What the board will measure

The annual value case should remain within 10% of approval, with pipeline and delivery variance exposed before it affects results. Forecasts across three quarters must reconcile contracted revenue, fees, cash, client outcomes and partner capacity. The operating measure for enterprise trust should show a quantified shift from a defined baseline, whether through repeat strategic work, outcome acceptance or another board-approved indicator.

Priority engagement and reputation risks must close on time with independent confirmation that remedies last. The firm expects at least 90% retention among critical sector and technical talent and ready cover for 70% of direct reports. No material client surprise should bypass governance, and severe issues must not remain ownerless beyond 30 days.

The person

You are currently a Managing Partner, Practice Leader or Senior Partner with 28 or more years in AI, enterprise software, data infrastructure, cloud, analytics, applied research or a comparable advisory market. You have owned at least ₹600 crore of P&L, book, budget or client-value portfolio and led at least 225 people in multidisciplinary work.

You can demonstrate building a sector proposition rather than inheriting a mature brand. Your record includes senior-client origination, difficult portfolio choices, partner-economics reform and outcomes that survived beyond an engagement team’s departure. You challenge optimistic claims without losing followership and can explain where your personal intervention changed the result. References will be expected to support that distinction.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated package is ₹5.0–7.5 crore fixed plus performance variable and LTI, calibrated to final foundation-model platform scope and current mix. Long-term awards use standard vesting and performance conditions. A structured client and conflict transition lasting up to six months can be accommodated. The role offers routine access to the board and investment committee.

Confidentiality

The organisation, live pursuits and partnership economics will be shared only after reciprocal interest and appropriate confidentiality. The scale and situation presented here have been intentionally blended and must not be treated as identifying clues.